Almost 900 crimes were not prosecuted in Scotland last year because "overworked" police officers failed to submit key reports in time, the First Minister has been told.

Nicola Sturgeon said it was "regrettable" that there were cases where there had been delays in getting the necessary paperwork to the Crown Office, but she stressed this had happened in just 0.3% of all cases.

However, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said as a result of this crimes including alleged firearms offences, drug dealing and child sex crimes had not been prosecuted..

The issue was raised at First Minister's Questions on Thursday after the figures were revealed by the Herald.

Davidson said: "When action is dropped against hundreds of suspects in cases as serious as these, and it is all down to officers being overworked, under pressure and flooded with paperwork, then it is clear something is very wrong."

The clash at Holyrood also comes just two days after official figures revealed the number of police officers in Scotland had hit a nine-year low.

"We already know the extreme pressure that is on Police Scotland and the effects are becoming clear," Davidson said.

"This week we learned 872 charges including firearms offences, including drug dealing, including child sex crimes, had to be dropped last year because police reports were filled in too late."

In response, Sturgeon said: "That, of course, is regrettable and we want to ensure that doesn't happen."

She cautioned the Tory MSP against giving a "misleading impression", saying: "The numbers that Davidson has cited today account for 0.3% of the overall number of cases."

The Conservative leader replied: "I'm sure that 872 victims of crime who didn't see those crimes prosecuted are delighted to hear the answer the First Minister has just given, about how little the crimes against them matter to her."

After reports had suggested police numbers could be cut by another 1200, Davidson pressed her rival on the state of Police Scotland.

The First Minister defended her government's record on policing and vowed to maintain officer numbers at a higher rate than the SNP inherited in 2007.